Some of the most recognizable teachers were also poets and include Ibn al-Farid in Arabic. Rumi and Attar in Persian.

Sam’ani, who predated the birth of Rumi by 65 years, penned the 99 most beautiful names of God. Chittick sums up some of Sam’ani’s teachings about love and God:

On the human side, recognizing God’s merciful self-manifestation stirs up love for him. Since he alone is real, love for anything else is ephemeral and unreal. In any case, people cannot avoid love. They are full of desires, wants, wishes, loves, passions, cravings (as the consumer society knows so well). Created in the image of a loving God, they cannot not love. Their problem is that they cannot see beyond their noses.

Liz Leslie is a journalist based in Bloomington, Indiana. As an associate Web producer for WFIU, Liz maintains the Muslim Voices Twitter and Facebook as well as writes for the blog. She also contributes to Earth Eats.More posts by this author »